Same Boat

To tell or not to tell. I am 22 weeks, and not too sure how much longer I can keep it hidden, I think I have done pretty well so far. I only just miscarried this year in May and told them since emotionally it devastated me so had to take time off because of it. Not sure whether I should leave it until after xmas but by then I will be 29 weeks pregnant, and who knows how I will go about hiding that.....I mean my intention is to take 8 weeks off which is the paid maternity leave they have in the company, can;t afford not to get paid, since otherwise things will be tight money wise...... It is silly to be scared I know that they can;t fired me or anything but still it makes me feel bad like how dare I do this to them......... I was even considering offering them to work from home and come in once a week and have someone just take care of stuff that can;t be done from home. I am an EA sope.......... not too sure whether they will go for it.....

Sidney... I too was terrified to tell work... especially when another lady i worked with was due a day after me and had already told them the news... I was nervous and worried about what they'd say... i ended up just telling my boss i needed to have a chat... in the end he told me he was more nervous cos he thought i was going to quit... i have since extended my 6 month leave to the full 12 months... i didnt have the heart to leave my bubs in care...

Just my opinion but will 8 weeks be enough time??? of course i dont know you financial situation but just from personal experience with my 2 i was still experiencing post natal bleeding at 6 weeks. was sleep deprived and with my DD i was having trouble with the 2 kids... Also you mentioned you had a previous MC... I was very emotional after dd was bron having several in between my DS and her... You have to do whats best for you thou... again JMO... Do you hav any annual leave you could use to extend this 8 weeks if you need to??? Is this your 1st bubs??? i would probably just tell them your pregnant for now... You only need to give them 4 weeks notice of your intention to take maternity leave from memory... and you can extend your time once...

Good luck with telling them... i'd probably tell them sooner rather then later... would prefer them find out from my own mouth then speculation...

Yeah thanks you are probably right. I could extend it from 8 weeks to 12 weeks which includes my annual leave. This is my second child. My first one was over ten years ago............ I guess I worried less when I was 23 years old and now at 34 I am more worried about things, i.e money, job security, etc......... plus to be honest I can;t remember how tiring it was. When I had my first I was a teacher at a school which made it easier for me to take leave........ here now at my job they are trying to save money left right and centre and will do anything not to hire a temp or smth, I guess I could always suggest to them that I would be willing to work from home in a zombie mode :). Will definetly have to tell them before xmas........no more hiding after.......:)
that. Thanks for your advice and I appreciate your input.

It's best to tell them soon so they can start planning for when you will be on mat leave. If you are that far along there has probably already been some discussion about your pregnancy anyway. I've seen it a few times in my work place where women haven't announced it yet some of the other employees have worked it out but aren't game to say anything to them about the pregnancy until they fess up.

Don't worry about your energy levels now that you are older. You will be fine. I gave birth at 42 & I manage fine.... could be different when I go back to work though.